When Mike opened his eyes, he wasn't shocked to see Micky asleep next to him. It was a vision he'd awoken to several times in the two months they had been apart; although it had always only been a fantasy.

Mike watched Micky sleep for what felt like forever, and yet Mike would've been content to watch him for even longer. At the same time though, he couldn't wait for Micky to wake up. Mike wanted to see those almond-shaped eyes, and he wanted to see that sweet smile on his boy's face.

Mike felt lost in a little world where everything seemed far sweeter, far nicer and far more beautiful than he could remember it being before. Mike knew the future for himself and Micky would be a rocky road. He knew it would be turbulent and they would probably come across several hurdles along the way, but Mike was prepared to take those risks. His life had been miserable without Micky, and knowing that Micky's life had been miserable without him too made Mike realise they simply had to be together no matter what.

Mike had no idea how long he'd been watching Micky. When Micky eventually stirred and opened his eyes, he wore a blank expression. Mike watched his boy closely as Micky's eyes started to wear a look of surprise and disbelief. Mike simply smiled, his heart thumping and his stomach twisting in excited knots, the sight of Micky's fresh-from-sleep face almost taking his breath away.

Micky stretched himself slightly, and he blinked hard a couple of times as if he was trying to gain focus. Mike continued to stare at Micky intently, watching as the curly haired man fully emerged into the world of awake.

"I can't believe I'm waking up with you." Micky finally whispered, as if he was scared that talking any louder would scare Mike away.

Micky wasn't smiling with his mouth, but his eyes were filled with wonder and disbelief that Mike was laying next to him.

Mike matched Micky's look. "There were a few mornings in these past two months where I woke up and saw you layin' next to me. I'd always blink real hard, but when I opened my eyes again you'd still be there. And I'd watch ya for ages; I never knew if I was asleep or awake. But you'd be there, like you are now, right next to me. Just sleepin'. And I'd watch you until I had to touch you. I'd always reach out to touch your hair, but that's when you'd disappear. You'd just vanish into thin air."

Micky's eyes studied Mike's face - Mike almost looked sad at his admission. Micky reached for Mike's hand, and he brought it up to touch the curly hair on his head.

Mike's eyes lit up as his fingers made contact with the side of Micky's head, feeling those soft lively curls - and Micky didn't disappear this time.

"See," Micky smiled. "I'm still here."

Mike quickly leaned forward, pressing his lips to Micky's in a slow but firm kiss. Mike pulled away, resting his head once more only inches away from Micky's face.

"This ain't gonna be an easy ride, you know." Mike said seriously.

"I know." Micky nodded slowly. "But it was harder when we were apart. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together."

Mike sighed deeply. He gazed at Micky sadly, lightly touching that curly hair once more. "I hate myself for hurting you." He whispered. "Seeing you like that last night... it killed me. I don't ever wanna see you like that again."

Micky simply looked at Mike, his eyes studying the Texan's face.

"In my head I was doin' the right thing." Mike continued. "I thought you'd get over me and you'd be okay."

Micky shook his head. "No." He responded. "You don't need to explain."

"I feel like I do." Mike admitted. "I hated leaving you. I never wanted to leave you, not for a second. You know that, don't you?"

"I do now." Micky replied. "But you were pretty convincing at the time. I seriously believed I meant nothing to you."

Micky could see Mike was visibly pained at that thought. "Never." Mike whispered, taking hold of Micky's hand. "It's always been you, Mick. From the moment I first saw your face... I just didn't know it."

"I want you to be happy, Mike." Micky wore a serious expression, and his eyes narrowed. "I'd walk away right now if I knew that's what would make you happy."

"I'm happy every time I look at you." Mike said, gazing at Micky. "You're all I need, Mick."

Micky wore a small smile. "Good... because I'm serious about this." He begun quietly. "This isn't some meaningless fling that I'm going to get over in a couple of months. What I feel for you is like nothing I've ever felt for anyone before... it scares the shit out of me, to be honest. I've never been in love before, but I love you. I really love you."

"And I love you." Mike smiled noticing that Micky was blushing.

Micky held onto Mike's hand, and he looked down at it as he slowly stroked it with his thumb. "I know it's not going to be easy, but...but I want to commit to you. I don't want any more bullshit or messing around. I want the real deal... I want you. And, well, if you want me...then I'm yours. Forever."

Mike felt like he could burst. Micky was so sincere and so serious when he spoke. Micky almost had a look of innocence about him, a look of hope and wonder. Mike couldn't believe how lucky he was that he'd been given a second chance.

"I'm sorry for how hard I've been on you... Since the very beginning I've been impossible." Mike said sadly. "I can't believe you even want to be with me after everythin' I've put you through."

"I told you, none of that matters now." Micky assured him. "I know you were only trying to do what was right, but this is what's right now."

Mike nodded. He brought Micky's hand up to his face and kissed it firmly. The two of them watched each other for a little longer before Mike finally spoke again.

"This is so surreal." He said quietly. "You and me."

Micky smiled. "It feels right though, doesn't it?"

"It does." Mike replied. "I don't think anything's ever felt this right before."

"Why did you come after me last night?" Micky wondered.

"'Cause you were upset." Mike told him. "I thought you'd been happy which was why I was angry that you broke up with Samantha."

Micky rolled onto his back, putting his hands to his face. "Sammy..." He groaned. "Oh my god, I've been such a jerk."

"No you ain't." Mike tried to assure him.

"Yeah, I have." Micky hit back, emerging from his hands. "I dumped her in front of everyone. I mean, I didn't want to. I told her we should leave it alone, but she just kept going on..."

"From where I were standin', it seemed like she was pushing you pretty hard." Mike confessed.

"That's no excuse though. I shouldn't have dumped her like that." Micky sighed, looking wracked with guilt. "I thought we were on the same page, you know? I thought she was cool with just taking things slow and seeing where they ended up. I mean, I never told her that's what I wanted... but she never told me she wanted anything else, either. Fuck... it's so messed up."

Mike himself felt pretty guilty at seeing how cut-up Micky looked. "She's a good girl. You just need to talk to her."

"But what am I supposed to say?" Micky looked at Mike. "I can't exactly tell her why it was never going to work out between us, can I? I can't tell her it's because I've been in love with someone else this whole time."

Mike sighed sympathetically. "Just tell her you both want different things, that you ain't ready for a serious relationship or somethin'..."

Micky nodded sadly. "I feel like such an asshole."

"Well you ain't." Mike told him. "She'll be okay once you've explained things."

"I guess I should see her today." Micky sighed. "Though I did just wanna spend the day with you."

"Well you still can. I can be here waitin' for ya, if you want." Mike replied.

Micky managed to smile. "I do want that." He said. "I guess there's some things we need to talk about."

"Yeah, you could say that." Mike scratched his head. "Like how we're gonna make this work without people findin' out."

Micky rolled onto his side again, facing Mike once more. "It was a lot easier when you lived here with me."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, but that ain't the case anymore." He said matter of factly. "I wanna be with ya properly... but won't people notice if we go back and forward to each other's houses all the time?"

Micky looked thoughtful. "Not if we're clever about it." He replied. "I mean, my neighbours aren't exactly observant. They're usually too out of it to even notice what's going on in their own living room, let alone what's going on down the street. That's if they're even there, which they hardly are. I really doubt they'll notice you coming over to my house all the time. And there are other ways, too... I mean, we both ride bikes, so they're easier to hide, aren't they? We both have garages, so we can hide them away so no one will see if your bike is here overnight or my bike is at yours overnight."

Mike found himself grinning. "You've really thought this through, ain't ya?"

Micky smiled sheepishly. "Well, it's not that difficult really, is it? It's not like we need to be James Bond to do this. We just need to be practical."

"You're so cute." Mike gushed, reaching out to touch Micky's hair.

Micky blushed a little. "Shush." He giggled.

Mike smiled a little sadly. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay with this though?" He asked, while Micky looked on blankly. "The sneakin' around..."

"How many times do I need to tell you?" Micky replied. "I'm fine with it. Of course I wish it didn't have to be so hard, but if that's the way it is, that's the way it is."

Mike nodded. "Sorry... I just need to be sure you're gonna be happy."

"I'm happy with you." Micky stared at Mike hard. "And what about you, are you okay with this?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to make this work." Mike replied seriously.

"Then we'll be okay." Micky took hold of Mike's hand again. "And what is it some people always say? "Nothing good is ever easy", or something like that."

"You're such a good boy." Mike said, beaming at Micky. "I love you."

Micky grinned. "I love hearing you say that. I think you could say it a million times and I wouldn't get bored of hearing it."

Mike leaned forward, pressing his lips to Micky's once more. "You're too cute. I could just squeeze ya."

Micky giggled. "Go on then."

Mike pulled Micky into a hug, squeezing him tightly. Micky giggled some more as Mike squeezed him even harder.

"Ow!" Micky giggled. "You're going to break me!"

Mike loosened his grip. "Sorry." He laughed. "I just can't get enough of ya."

Micky wore one of the biggest smiles Mike had ever seen. "Well you've got me now. Always."

Mike run his fingers through Micky's hair, his face softening and his eyes shining. "I feel really lucky." He said softly.

Micky studied Mike's face. "I feel pretty damn lucky too." He said before giving Mike a small kiss on the lips.

Micky and Mike lazed around in bed for the rest of the morning. They didn't even talk; they just held each other, enjoying being able to be close to each other after so long apart. They finally dragged themselves out of bed, had a quick shower and went downstairs for something to eat.

The pair of them sat in the kitchen eating jam on toast.

"I guess I really need to see Samantha later." Micky sighed. "That's if she'll even hear me out."

"You'll feel better once you get it over and done with." Mike said, taking a bite of toast.

"I hope so." Micky sighed again. "I hate things like this though. I'm no good at serious conversations."

"Yes, you are." Mike assured him, giving Micky a look. "What about all the serious talks you've had with me? You're much better than you realise, Mick."

Micky smiled weakly. "You think?"

"I know." Mike told him. "You'll do alright, babe. You just need to be straight with her."

"Yeah, I know. I just don't want her to hate me." Micky confessed.

"Well... I don't think she'll hate you. She'll probably need a bit of time, but she'll be okay. You'll see." Mike reassured him.

"Yeah." Micky blew out a deep breath. "Sorry, I don't mean to dampen the mood."

"Don't be silly, boy." Mike smiled sympathetically. "You know you can talk to me. Once you've spoken to Samantha, everythin' will be alright."

Micky managed to smile. "Thanks." He said. "Will you be here when I get back? Or did you need to go home?"

"I should go home, just to check things, but I can come straight back again." Mike replied with a smile.

"I could always come to yours? I still need a tour of your new place." Micky took a bite of toast.

"To be honest, I'd rather come back here. I mean, I'll show you around my house soon enough, but... well, to be honest, I've really missed this place." Mike admitted, looking around the kitchen.

"Really?" Micky questioned, looking at Mike with a glint of surprise.

"Yeah... This whole house, I don't know. It just sorta feels like home. My place ain't the same. It don't have the spirit that this place does... I dunno. I like being back here." Mike's cheeks went a little red.

Micky smiled. "You always complained that it was a mess." He giggled.

"Well I guess I never knew how much I liked mess." Mike gave Micky a small smile. "As soon as I moved out, I wanted to come back. Obviously that had much to do with you, but it's this house too. I 'spose it's just special. This was where everything started for us."

Micky looked rather moved by that comment. "Yeah... I guess it is." He said, and he sat there smiling giddily for a few moments. "Aww...you're so sweet."

"Shut up." Mike scoffed, finishing off his toast. The two of them smiled at each other before Mike spoke again. "So, I should go home, make sure everything's okay, then I can come back here. I uh, I kinda still have my key..."

"Really?" Micky questioned thoughtfully. "Oh yeah, you never gave it back, did you?"

"I don't know why I kept hold of it." Mike shrugged.

"Maybe you always knew you'd end up back here." Micky gave Mike a warm smile.

"Maybe." Mike smiled shyly.

"You should bring a few things back with you too. You know, a change of clothes, underwear, a toothbrush... Although I do like the idea of you wearing my clothes. That's kinda hot." Micky smirked.

Mike laughed. "You're bad."

"You like it." Micky flashed a toothy smile.

Mike laughed some more. "God, I've missed you. I don't know how I managed without you."

Micky's face softened. "It's been a bad couple of months."

Mike's face fell. "Yeah..." He looked down sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't keep apologising." Micky warned him. "It's done now."

Mike looked up. "You're too good for me, Mick... you giving me a second chance. You have no idea how lucky I feel."

"I feel like I've been given a second chance, too." Micky tilted his head to the side, looking hard at the Texan. "I thought I'd lost you for good."

Mike sighed. He looked thoughtful. "There is somethin' I need to tell ya, something I think you'll be happy about."

Micky looked intrigued. "What is it?"

"I've been seein' my kids... All of my kids." Mike announced.

It took Micky a moment to realise what Mike had said. His face lit up. "Seriously?"

"A few weeks back, I called Nurit." Mike pushed around the crumbs on his plate with the crust of his toast. "We uh, we started talkin' again, you know, about everything... It was hard at first, you know, awkward and uh... Well we kinda sorted things out. Or we've started to at least. I saw the boy last week, for the first time. Only for half-hour or so, but it's a start."

"Mike, that's amazing." Micky's eyes were wide with wonder and surprise.

"It's 'cause of you; you were right about everything. I was being a coward pretendin' it was all just gonna go away. I should've listened to you sooner." Mike looked up at Micky with a slightly pained expression.

"Come on, give yourself some credit." Micky responded gently. "You could've carried on the way you were going, but you didn't. It takes balls to do what you did and face up to things."

"You said all the things I needed to hear, the things that no one else dared say to me." Mike told him. "Not even my mom had the guts to say what you said. You told me what I needed to hear even though you knew you'd get shit for it, and I did give you shit for it. But you still stuck by me and encouraged me. I'll never forget that, Mick."

Micky smiled and looked down bashfully. "I just wanted what was best for you."

"Well you were right, and I shouldn't have given you such a hard time for it." Mike looked apologetic.

Micky looked up. "Don't be silly. That was ages ago now."

"Well I ain't forgot it." Mike said, staring at Micky hard.

"I'm proud of you, Mike." Micky said. His eyes genuine and kind. "Seriously proud of you. I'm so happy you're putting things right at last."

"Me too." Mike smiled. "I mean, I ain't got regular access or anything, but it's early days."

"Exactly. Just take it nice and slow." Micky nodded. "What matters now is that that kid has a dad. That's the most important thing."

Mike nodded with a small smile. "Yeah... I'm finally getting my life on track." He sighed.

Micky pushed his chair back, stood up, and walked around the table to where Mike was sitting. He then plopped himself down on Mike's lap, causing the Texan to laugh.

"What are you doing, boy?" Mike chuckled.

Micky wrapped his arms around Mike's neck. "Nothing." He grinned before poking his bottom lip out in a mock-pout. "Why, don't you want me on your lap?"

"'Course I do, silly." Mike rested his arms around Micky's small waist. He'd thought earlier that Micky looked thinner than before, and once again he noticed that his curly-haired lover seemed to have lost some weight.

"Good." Micky grinned, leaning in for a kiss.

Micky kissed Mike slowly before pulling back and smiling sweetly at his lover.

"I'm honestly really proud of you, you know." Micky told the Texan seriously.

Mike simply looked at his boy. The two of them watched each other for a few moments.

"You have been okay, ain't ya Mick?" Mike asked gently, referring to the months they spent apart.

Micky's face fell slightly, and he broke eye-contact with Mike for just a second. "I'm okay now, that's the main thing."

Mike looked up at Micky, who was still perched on his lap, sadly.

Micky gave his partner a firm look. "Don't look at me like that." He told Mike, who looked at him blankly. "Like you're sad."

"I just don't like the thought of you being unhappy." Mike reached up, running his fingers through Micky's curly hair.

"Well I don't like the thought of you being unhappy either." Micky replied. "But we're both happy now, aren't we? That's the important thing. We're together now and that's all that matters."

Mike continued to watch Micky with an expression the slightly younger man couldn't read. Mike run his fingers though Micky's hair once more, his eyes fixed on his partner.

"Do you remember when you asked me why I cheated on my wife?" Mike asked in a quiet and gentle tone.

"I think so... yeah." Micky replied softly, wondering where this was going.

"Do you remember what I said?" Mike continued to run his fingers through Micky's mass of curls.

Micky thought back for a moment, looking up at the ceiling as he remembered Mike's words. "Uh, you said that something was missing from your marriage. That you felt like you were looking for something."

"And do you know what it was I was lookin' for?" Mike questioned, still gazing at Micky.

Micky shook his head. "No..." He replied quietly.

"It was you. I were lookin' for you, and you were right under my nose the whole time." Mike confessed, staring at Micky with such a powerful gaze Micky almost felt completely vulnerable.

Micky took a deep breath, feeling a little overwhelmed with Mike's admission. He simply stared at the Texan with uncertainty in his almond-shaped eyes.

"I was okay, strollin' along." Mike continued. "I wasn't happy, but I wasn't unhappy either. When I met you everythin' changed. You changed everything."

Micky was silent for a moment, perched on Mike's lap with his arms still loosely slung around the taller man's neck. "I'm sorry…" He whispered, looking down.

"I ain't blaming you for my mistakes." Mike reassured him, taking hold of Micky's chin and lifting his head to meet his gaze. "Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. It took me a long time to truly realise that."

Micky managed a small, almost sheepish smile. "I'm sorry I screwed everything up for you."

"You didn't. It's just only now, or these past few months, that I've realised that my happiest moments were with you." Mike explained. "Not just when we were on the set, or performin'... but when we'd just be hanging out. In the black box, or backstage before a show, or in a hotel waiting to do a bunch of boring interviews. Just being with ya, jokin' with ya... No one ever made me smile or laugh as much as you did, or do now. I thought you were just a really good buddy, but my god, you're so much more than that."

Micky's felt his cheeks fill with heat. He felt a little overcome with how things had unfolded over the last 24 hours. Everything he'd hoped for for such a long time seemed to be happening, and he couldn't quite take it in. Mike's kind and loving words were more than Micky ever expected, though it was everything he'd dreamed of. When they were together before, Mike was hardly one for putting his heart on a plate, and now it was happening Micky found it completely surreal and hard to get his head around.

Mike was a little unsettled by Micky being so quiet, because Micky was never quiet. Micky just sort of looked at Mike with an uncertain expression.

"Have I said too much?" Mike pressed gently.

Micky shook his head vigorously. "No, no...not at all." He said, looking a little flustered. "I just...I never expected to hear you say those sorts of things to me. Less than a day ago I didn't even think you liked me, and now I know you love me, and you want me, and...and I can't quite get my head around it, to be honest. I'm scared I'm going to wake up and this will all have been a really great dream."

Mike smiled warmly at his lover. "This ain't a dream, Mick."

Micky managed a small smile. "We're gonna be okay, aren't we?"

"Of course we are." Mike said with more hope than certainty.

Micky's smile grew, his whole face lighting up once more. He leaned in and kissed Mike on the lips once again, pulling away and grinning wildly at the Texan. "I love you, and I love that I can say that now."

Mike chuckled. "Say it all you like, babe."